This invention relates to automotive radar systems of the type in which the detection range is divided into multiple contiguous range bins, and more particularly to a radar control that provides both back-up aid and parking aid functions.
Object detection and ranging systems have been applied to motor vehicles for aiding the driver when the vehicle is being operated in reverse. A first type of system, generally referred as a back-up aid, is designed to aid the driver by detecting foreign or unexpected objects in the path of the vehicle; in this type of system, the detection range must be relatively extensive, but the ranging accuracy can be relatively coarse. A second type of system, generally referred to as a parking aid, is designed to aid the driver by indicating how close the rear bumper is to an object such as another vehicle during parking maneuvers; in this type of system, the detection range can be relatively shallow but must also be relatively wide, and the ranging accuracy needs to be relatively fine. Since the design requirements of parking aids and back-Lip aids are so different, it has been considered impossible to provide both functions with a single non-scanning radar sensor. Thus, the current trend is to equip the vehicle with a radar sensor for the back-up aid function, and with a series of lower cost ultrasonic sensors for the parking aid function. However, it would be desirable from the standpoint of both cost and performance to be able to achieve both parking and back-up aid functions with a single radar system.
The present invention is directed to an improved vehicle radar system and control for aiding the vehicle driver during both parking and back-up maneuvers. According to the invention, the radar system is equipped with both long range and short range radar detection antennas, an RF switch for selecting the active antenna, and a range bin having a depth that is adjustable xe2x80x9con the flyxe2x80x9d. The back-up aid function is provided by activating the RF switch to select the long range antenna and setting the range bin to a relatively large depth to cover the long range in a short time. The parking aid function is provided by activating the RF switch to select the short range antenna, and setting the range bin to a relatively short depth to achieve high close range accuracy.